Organa evades pursuing troopers and provides R2-D2 with the secret plans to keep them from falling into the hands of the feared Sith LordDarth Vader. She is soon captured by the pursuing troops and taken to Vader but does not reveal the plans' whereabouts. C-3PO finds R2-D2, and together the two board an escape pod, which lands on a sandy planet. Having escaped Vader with the secret plans, they begin a new journey that will bring them into contact with Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Han Solo, and Chewbacca.[1]

The title, designed for readers ages 6-8,[2] retells situations and events previously depicted in full in the original Star Wars film.[10] Amazon Digital released an electronic edition on October 7, 2014,[3] and Egmont issued a U.K. edition on June 4, 2015.[4]

Escape from Darth Vader is also one of eleven stories published within 5-Minute Star Wars Stories, a December 2015 compilation from Disney–Lucasfilm Press featuring at least one story focused on events from each of the films in the Star Wars saga series to date. This new version of the story is credited as being authored by Brooke Dworkin. It retains the same basic narrative and illustrations by Stéphane Roux but uses somewhat more complex language, as well as direct quotations from the film not featured in Siglain's version.[12]

"This is a book that I think will suck kids in as they flip through the pages of cool artwork. As a first introduction to the story of Star Wars this could be a great introduction to children who may not be ready for the full film."

Overall reception to Escape from Darth Vader by reviewers has been positive. As of December 15, 2016, the title had received seventy-seven customer reviews at Amazon.com, with an overall rating of 4.7/5 stars. Reviewers describe the story variously as a "well-written recounting" and "a story that has lured my young daughters away from helpless princesses."[10] Mundie Kids, a book review site written by a mother, featured a positive review, which stated, "This is a book I wish I had, had [sic] for my son when he was learning how to read."[14]